Iranian President: Tehran to continue uranium enrichment

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on March 4 that his country will continue to enrich uranium in a trust-building framework, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

"In the final step, all the sanctions imposed on Iran should be lifted," Rouhani said.

He went on to note that Iran's nuclear rights will be preserved in the negotiations.

Rejecting sanctions and pressures, Iranian president said that a political solution is the only possible way to solve the country's nuclear dispute.

"The next step is really hard but we trust in our team of negotiators," he said.

"The whole world needs to trust in Iran's goodwill," he added.

He further expressed hope that the two sides reach a final agreement in six months.

Iran and the P5+1 group are set to start a new round of expert-level talks on Tehran's nuclear energy program in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on March 5, Press TV reported.

Hamid Baeidinejad, the director general for political and international affairs at Iran's Foreign Ministry, said on March 3 that expert-level talks with the P5+1 will last until Friday, March 7.

Baeidinejad, who heads Iran's expert-level nuclear negotiating team, further stated that the delegation from the group of six countries would be led by Stephen Clement, an aide to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

Negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group are aimed at reaching a final agreement to fully resolve the West's decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear energy program.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany inked an interim deal on Tehran's nuclear energy program in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 24 last year. The Genevaaccord, dubbed the Joint Plan of Action, took effect on Jan. 20.

Tehran and the six countries wrapped up their latest round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna on Feb. 20.

Following the Vienna talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said Tehran and its negotiating partners had finalized a framework for comprehensive talks to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear energy program.